Corpus Christi School, Shaping the Future

Serving the children of Corpus Christi and St. Mary of the Assumption parishes.

Communication: Marketing Committee

Marketing Committee Update, May 2007.

Dear Parents,

Now that the activities of the Marketing Committee have slowed down a bit, I thought it would be a good time to share an update with you. Specifically, I want to provide an overview of our activities as a committee and highlight our accomplishments.

Below is a summary of our accomplishments in the past year:

  • A professionally designed and developed web site (www.corpuschristielementary.org). The current state of the web site is the completion of what we called 'Phase 1'. Phase 1 is meant to be an "online brochure" where parents can gather information about the school. We are extremely happy with the site and have received very positive feedback from both current and prospective parents. We are now beginning discussions around Phase 2 of the site. In today's information age and the need to have an online presence, we are very excited about the potential of our site.
  • The creation of the 'Family Spotlight Campaign'. The Family Spotlight Campaign is a way to share a Corpus Christi family experience with the entire school. The initial focus has been on families who have both older and younger children in the school and have had a chance to experience all aspects of what the school offers. We felt this was a great way for us to promote the school to existing parents.
  • A new brochure was created for prospective parents. This is no small task! Our new brochure is the culmination of several individuals' creative talent and hard work. We all feel it is essential to make a lasting impression on parents who are considering our school and the brochure is one of the first ways to communicate with those parents.
  • A 'Fast Fact Sheet' was sent out in the Fall that highlighted significant accomplishments of our students. It highlighted both curricular and extra-curricular activities. We feel it is equally important for existing parents to have a rewarding impression of our school.
  • A banner advertisement of the school has resided at the entrance of St. Mary's church (on Rte 41) for the past year. Since such a large majority of the school's population resides in Hockessin, this location is an ideal spot for continued advertising. We are currently redoing the banner along with the way it is hung. Our goal is to use the location for the main banner and have the flexibility to change the banner during the year to advertise specific events such as the Open House.
  • 'Open House Campaigns' were done for both the Kindergarten only Open House in the Fall and the Open Houses during Catholic School's week. As part of this campaign, several forms of advertising and promotions were done to help attract new students. This included:
    • Print ads in the Dialogue, Community News, and Catholic Herald.
    • A postcard mailer that was sent to all families with children ages 3-5 of Catholic denomination within four different zip code areas.
    • A flyer that was sent to feeder preschool's such as St. Mary's preschool.
    • A new DVD that was produced and handed out to visiting parents.
    • And the new brochure that was previously mentioned.

As a group, many of us do not have a marketing background. What we do possess is a passion for Corpus Christi School and the will to make sure it continues to thrive. It is this passion and will that enables us to accomplish many things with a limited budget. Our goal is simple. to attract new students while maintaining current enrollment.

I hope you found this update informative. We are doing everything we can to make our goal possible. I encourage all of you to help us in our efforts by sharing your positive feedback with other parents. Referral based marketing is the best of its kind!

Respectfully,
John Panico
Marketing Committee Chairperson

2007-2008 CCS Marketing Committee:

* Indicates Faculty

Joan Angiullo*, Kathleen Connor*, Rosemary Deery*, Dennis Fish, Mike Flanagan, Nannette Mazich, Renie McCarthy, Molly McCloskey, Kerri Nagy, John Panico, Chris Rankin, Jennifer Shannon